After my last experience with the Raven figure, I honestly thought I was done with DAMANDO's Core Cast line of seamless mecha girl figures. But when I saw the tempting price on this 2B, my hand slipped and I clicked "buy." The fact that it's one of my favorite characters, 2B, and comes with two incredibly detailed katanas sealed the deal. I'm a sucker for any figure that includes a good katana, and I just couldn't resist.
To be honest, I've felt a bit of fatigue with this series since the Raven release. First, let's get one thing straight: DAMANDO's seamless body quality is undeniably the pinnacle of the mecha girl market right now. My first figure from them, Little Red Riding Hood, still has perfect silicone skin. I repose it about every three months, and to this day, I haven't encountered any cracking or even creasing. The biggest concern with seamless figures is oil seepage over time, but so far, mine hasn't had this issue. Of course, the environment plays a huge role; prolonged exposure to direct light or sunlight will cause oiling much faster than normal display conditions.
The reason DAMANDO's Core Cast line is considered the gold standard is primarily due to their proprietary seamless technology. Beyond that, the flawless finish and the soft, supple feel of the material are just fantastic. However, the one area they still need to improve is the face sculpts. I was disappointed with Raven, and unfortunately, 2B's face is another tragedy. It looks nothing like the box art, and the difference is jarring.
In any case, this 2B is truly the last seamless figure I'll be getting for the foreseeable future. Unless they release a particularly unique design or a special collaboration, I'm probably tapping out of this collection.
Setting aside the specific character, let's break down the common features of the DAMANDO Core Cast seamless mecha girl series:
- Proprietary Seamless Body Technology:
- The Core Cast series has always used DAMANDO's in-house seamless tech, and this 2B figure is no exception. Like Raven, the upper torso, chest, and thighs are all made with this seamless material. The overall feel is incredibly soft and pleasant to the touch, completely eliminating the jarring, segmented look of typical action figure joints.
- All their products, including 2B, feature no visible seams on the silicone parts. The fleshiness of the thighs and the curves of the buttocks are sculpted with a full, rounded look. Squeezing them creates very realistic-looking wrinkles, and the shadow painting on the thighs and rear is executed perfectly.
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- ●Interchangeable Faces & Expressive Eyes:
- A signature feature of the Core Cast line is the fully articulated eyeballs. Using the included tool, you can create more lively and dynamic expressions, even making the figure roll her eyes. You can adjust her gaze to the side or have her look from different angles, which is a feature I've always loved about DAMANDO's figures.
- The interchangeable face plates are another key feature. However, it's a bit of a letdown that the expressions never quite match the beautiful art on the box. After being disappointed by Raven, 2B has unfortunately disappointed me again in this department.
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- ●Signature Storage Display Base
- Another feature I love about the Core Cast line is their unique display base. The base can be opened from all four sides to store various replacement parts and face plates. This is incredibly convenient, as I can swap out parts for a new pose without having to dig out the original box.
- This 2B base is a little different from previous releases. It now includes a small sound feature with original voice lines from the game's voice actress (original voice of Yui Ishikawa). When you plug in the power jack, it plays classic lines. The volume is quite loud, not some barely audible whisper. This design is a nice little bonus for this 2B figure.
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- ●Accessories and Workmanship
- DAMANDO put extra effort into 2B's skirt this time. Instead of hard plastic, it's made of a soft vinyl material, which greatly improves its flexibility. This allows for much smoother leg-lifting poses. The hem of the skirt even features a raised, embroidered texture that feels three-dimensional to the touch.
- The weapon accessories in this series have never been a letdown. This 2B comes with both the "Virtuous Contract" and "Virtuous Treaty" katanas. The paintwork and details on the blades are faithfully recreated. Since they aren't made of metal, they don't have a heavy, die-cast feel, but the metallic paint application is top-notch and gives them a high-quality look. This level of quality is consistent across the series' weapons.
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The points above pretty much summarize my thoughts after collecting so many of DAMANDO's Core Cast seamless figures. Going forward, I'll only consider buying another one if it's a truly special design or a collaboration. After all, these figures aren't cheap, and display space is always an issue. Below are some quick unboxing photos, hope you enjoy them.
▼[UNBOXING] Core Cast x DAMANDO NieR:Automata 2B 1/9 Scale Seamless Mecha Girl Figure #ToyReview #NoFilter #LastSeamlessFigure
▼Front view of the YoRHa No. 2 Type B (2B) from NieR:Automata. This release uses a partial seamless body, with only certain parts featuring the seamless design, similar to the previous Raven figure.
▼Setting aside the discrepancy between the face sculpt and the box art, the details are well-executed, including her iconic beauty mark.
▼The chest is made of the seamless material, and the patterns on her outfit are rendered in a raised texture that feels three-dimensional.
▼The lower body, including the thighs and buttocks, is made of the seamless material. It's recommended to check the instruction manual for the thighs' range of motion when posing.
▼Thanks to DAMANDO's proprietary seamless technology, the texture of the thighs is very soft. There are no visible seams on the material, which gives the legs a much more aesthetically pleasing look.
▼I know what angle you're all looking for, so here you go.
▼The focus of this picture isn't the seamless legs, but the knees and lower legs. The feet use a universal ball joint system that allows the ankle to rotate side-to-side first, and then the foot itself can pivot. This design allows the soles of the feet to sit perfectly flat on any surface.
▼The arms can be raised straight out to the side.
▼The elbow joint is somewhat restricted by the sleeve, so it cannot achieve a full bend.
▼The inner details of the petal-like sleeves are also sculpted.
▼Here's a shot from the back. The shading on the buttocks is excellent, and you can see the seamless material on her back. The patterns on her clothing are also textured with a raised, embossed feel.
▼The dress and the sleeves on both sides are made of a soft vinyl material, not hard plastic.
▼When posing the upper body, a large seam becomes clearly visible from the back.
▼The focus of this photo isn't her rear. Thanks to the universal ball joints in the ankles, the feet can be planted firmly on the ground, allowing the figure to stand stably even without a support stand.
▼The aforementioned seam.
▼The articulation is quite good, allowing for natural and effortless posing.
▼Putting on the skirt and blindfold really brings out the full 2B look.
▼This 2B figure comes with two head sculpts that you can swap at any time. The other head features the blindfold and an open-mouthed expression. The set also includes a separate, un-blindfolded face plate.
▼The skirt is made of a soft vinyl material. Be very careful with the bow in the middle of the skirt—mine snapped off. Thankfully, the break was clean and repairable, but everyone should handle this part with extra care.
▼These two katanas were a major reason why I bought this figure. This 2B includes both "Virtuous Contract" and "Virtuous Treaty."
▼The detail on the katanas is fantastic. The patterns are all there, and the paint application is on point.
▼Independent articulation.
▼By combining the two katanas with the display base and effect parts, you can recreate scenes from the game where the swords float in the air.
▼The paint and detail work is truly impressive. The handguards (tsuba) have their own distinct paint details, the blade edge uses a silver metallic paint, and the color separation on all parts of the sword is crisp.
▼DAMANDO Core Cast's classic display stand. The base can be opened from the front, back, and sides to store replacement parts. In addition to the two katanas, this 2B set also includes the Pod 042 robot. The pod features metallic color separation paint, but unfortunately, its articulation is not as extensive as one might hope. It requires its own dedicated stand for display.
▼Plugging a power source into the jack on the front of the base will activate the original voice actress's lines. Because of this added sound feature, the base has one less storage compartment.
▼The Pod 042 robot. Its fingers can be opened, and the arms have some slight articulation.
▼The base can be opened to store spare parts. The face plates can only fit in the front and back compartments due to their size. The side compartments are better suited for storing spare hands and the eyeball adjustment tool.
▼The articulated eyeballs.
▼Using the special tool, you can rotate the eyeballs to change the direction of her gaze, making her facial expressions much more dynamic.
▼Since this is an unboxing, we can't miss the box art. It feels like the expression on the un-blindfolded face would have been perfect if only the mouth shape was different.
▼The side of the box features two different poses, in typical DAMANDO fashion. The packaging is different this time, using a cardboard box.
▼The other side of the box. This pose from the box art is 100% reproducible, including the specific angle and posture of the legs.
▼One last shot to wrap up this unboxing.
▼Here are some super simple studio shots. Hope you like them.
